Sears pitched its My SHC Community last year as a way for consumers to try out new products and have a say in what the company sells and does. Users who registered were invited to install a software program onto their computers.

Sears, however, didn’t tell users everything it was up to, StopBadware says:

The application transmits data to unknown parties without making it clear to users. Data included Web sites visited, emails sent and received (headers only), items purchased, and other info on a person’s Internet use. The problem: this isn’t made clear to users.

The software doesn’t fully and conspicuously tell users that it will send “extensive personal data to Sears or that it monitors all Internet traffic, not just browsing.”

While the program is running, users don’t know it’s active.

According to StopBadware, Sears told the group that it was going to improve its disclosure and privacy policy and make changes within 48 hours.

Kimberly Freely, a Sears spokeswoman, only had this statement, which she e-mailed to me tonight:

“It is impossible to become a tracked member of the My SHC Community by simply joining through the website link or general e-mail. Becoming a tracked member of the My SHC Community is by invitation only. Invitations are generated randomly and kept to a minimum by design. My SHC Community goes to great lengths to describe the tracking aspect for those members who receive an invitation. Clear notice appears in the invitation. It also appears on the first signup page, in the privacy policy and user licensing agreement. We provide additional notice of the tracking feature in the form of a welcome email that is sent to everyone after they become a member.”